Salinas police searching for 3 men suspected of killing 47-year-old in robbery

A 47-year-old man was beaten to death in a robbery on John Street, and Salinas police are asking for the public's help in tracking down three suspects. 

Ventura Guzman Urias died Oct. 31, days after Salinas police found him unconscious with significant injuries to his face in the 1100 block of John Street.

Police say they were called out to that area at about 7:45 p.m. Oct. 26 after receiving reports of a man being beaten by several people. 

Detectives determined he'd been on foot and followed by three males wearing hooded sweatshirts and blue jeans believed to be in their early 20s. 

They attacked him, stole his property and then ran west on John Street, police said. 

They got into a black BMW 3-series with tinted windows that appears to be a 2012 or later model, police said. 

Urias was taken to the hospital for treatment but died Oct. 31 from his injuries. 

Police at this time don't have any indications the suspects knew Urias or that they're connected to other crimes. They cautioned the investigation is ongoing.

Police Cmdr. John Murray said detectives waited to release information on the homicide so they could investigate the case and circumstances before the suspects could find out Urias had died. 

"The suspects at the time knew they had committed a robbery and that they'd beat him. Until this press release, they were probably not aware that he'd died," Murray said. 

He asked the public to reach out if they have any information on the attack.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Justin Heckman at (831) 758-7323 or justinh@ci.salinas.ca.us. 

Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling (831) 775-4222.

Joe Szydlowski is a multimedia journalist for the Salinas Californian who covers local government, crime and cannabis. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoeSzyd_Salinas. He can be reached at 235-2360. Help support The Californian's work: https://bit.ly/2Qo298J